USDA declares 23 Arkansas counties as disaster areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared 23 Arkansas counties disasters in the wake of spring flooding. This designation is separate from a presidential disaster declaration, which Gov. Asa Hutchinson has requested. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, is still assessing the damage before a presidential disaster declaration can be enacted.

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue sent Hutchinson a letter informing him of the declaration. Perdue visited Arkansas in early May.

“The USDA reviewed the loss assessment reports and determined that there were sufficient production losses to warrant a secretarial natural disaster designation,” Perdue said.

“I want to thank Secretary Perdue and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for granting my request to declare 23 Arkansas counties as disaster areas,” Hutchinson said. “The secretary saw firsthand the damage our state suffered due to flooding, including the destruction of thousands of acres of cropland. The disaster declaration will give our farmers access to emergency loans that will help them get back on their feet after last month’s devastating storms.”

In addition to the 23 counties declared primary natural disaster areas, Perdue designated 23 Arkansas counties as contiguous disaster areas. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of a secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm, and the security and repayment ability of the operator.

A secretarial disaster designation qualifies farm operators in primary counties and in contiguous counties to be considered for certain assistance from FSA provided they meet eligibility requirements.